Air-Vice Marshal David Richard Hawkins (5 April 1937 – 31 January 2019), also known as David Hawkins-Leth, was a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer who commanded the

Royal Air Force Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such t ...

in the 1990s. After his RAF service, he became an usher for Black Rod and a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Greater London.

Early life

Hawkins was born in Streatham, South London in April 1937 and educated at

Worth School Worth may refer to: Places In the United States: *Worth, Georgia *Worth County, Georgia *Worth, Illinois *Worth Township, Cook County, Illinois *Worth Township, Woodford County, Illinois *Worth Township, Indiana *Worth Township, Michigan *Worth, ...

and Downside.

RAF career

Hawkins joined the RAF in 1955 as a gunner in the RAF Regiment, but was awarded a short commission in 1956, with the commissioning becoming permanent in 1959. His infantry training was at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, with Hawkins being the last RAF officer to undergo the training there before the RAF took on training its own Regiment officers. In 1971, he was appointed as the officer commanding

No. 37 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 37 Squadron RAF Regiment was a Ground Based Aircraft Defence (GBAD) squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The squadron operated mostly outside the United Kingdom since its formation in 1951 until 2006 when it was disbanded. It started out a ...

, then based at

RAF Catterick Royal Air Force Catterick or RAF Catterick is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Catterick, North Yorkshire in England. It is located alongside the A6055 road on the outskirts of Catterick Village. Although initially a flying stati ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

with frequent deployments to Northern Ireland. In 1974, he was the officer commanding the

Queen's Colour Squadron The King's Colour Squadron, formerly the Queen's Colour Squadron, is the unit of the Royal Air Force charged with the safe-keeping of the King's Colour for the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. Since its formation, it has been formed excl ...

(QCS). Whilst in command at QCS, he and his men appeared on the Generation Game with

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series '' Sunday Nig ...

, where they performed their drill manoeuvres for the contestants to emulate. In 1977, he was awarded the

Member of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. After being promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

and then group captain, Hawkins undertook a number of staff posts at AAFCE and HQ Strike Command in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, with other postings to RAF Catterick and one as the Director of Personal Services within the RAF HQ. By 1991 and in the rank of

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

, he took on the role of the

Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment The Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment (CG RAF Regt) is the Royal Air Force commander of the RAF Regiment. The post was established in January 1942 immediately prior to the creation of the RAF Regiment. The first two holders of the post wer ...

. In 1992, Hawkins was elevated to a

Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...

. In 1993, Hawkins relinquished his appointment as Commandant General of the RAF Regiment, and retired from active service, being succeeded by T G Thorn.

Later career

Following retirement from the RAF, he was appointed Director of Military and Government Affairs for WDSL Aerospace Ltd, and he took on a similar post with Coltraco Ultrasonics Ltd in 2014, as well as being a member of Safe Waste and Power consultants. Hawkins was also a Gentleman Usher to the Queen (invested in 1994), a Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod between 1993 and 1998, and a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater London between 1994 and 2012. As a Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod, Hawkins was known not to be one who shirked his duties; in 1995, Hawkins sent a typed letter to

Sir Geoffrey Howe Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, (20 December 1926 – 9 October 2015) was a British Conservative politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1990. Howe was Margaret Thatche ...

instructing him to cease ongoing proceedings in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

that were being filmed in relation to a debate on the

single European currency The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . Th ...

. The conference was in some unspecified way breaking the ''rules of the house'' and attending film crews were warned that they would have their media passes revoked if they broadcast the footage of the event. He was elevated to a Lieutenant in the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in 2007.

Personal life

Hawkins was married three times; first to Wendy Harris (1965–1981), secondly to Elaine Nelson (1982–1997), and thirdly, in 1998, to Karen Hansen-d’Leth, a dentist who had a surgery in Harley Street. He adopted his wife's name as part of his surname to become Hawkins-Leth. When his wife retired, they moved to Denmark, but in ill-health, Hawkins returned to London in the last days of his life. He died on 31 January 2019.

Honours

National Honours

* : Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

* : Knight Officer of the

* : Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

Foreign Honours

* Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Commander of the

Royal Order of Francis I The Royal Order of Francis I (properly 'The Royal Order of Francis I of the Two Sicilies' it, Reale Ordine di Francesco I) was an extinct order of merit of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which was annexed in 1861 by the King of Italy (u ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, David 1937 births 2019 deaths People educated at Worth School People educated at Downside School Royal Air Force air marshals Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Royal Air Force Regiment officers British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Companions of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Greater London Military personnel from London Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Order of the British Empire